ANALYSIS : Commercials Don’t Measure Up to Hype
Maybe it’s because they long for the ‘60s, or perhaps they just prefer folk and rock to rap music, but an assortment of advertising executives Monday chose Pepsi’s “Woodstock Reunion” spot as their favorite Super Bowl commercial.
In reviewing more than three dozen Super Bowl spots, six of the eight ad critics interviewed for this article chose the Woodstock spot, by ad agency BBDO, as one of the best. The ad includes kids who look on at the reminiscing adults and express hope that they won’t skinny-dip again.
Five of the critics, saying they may have been influenced by the recent cold weather, chose two sensuous and understated spots for Norwegian Cruise Line by Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein as among their favorites, although some questioned whether they were too soft-sell for the Super Bowl. “I would consider taking the cruise,” said critic Ted Littleford, executive creative director at FCB/Leber Katz.
Overall, the critics expressed dismay that, just like the Super Bowl itself, it’s become very difficult for the ads to live up to expectations for the highly showcased event. They cited a Frito-Lay potato chips spot featuring former Vice President Dan Quayle as falling short of the advance hype.
“It’s just amazing to me how much money is blown on celebrities and extravagant productions,” said Bill Oberlander, creative director at Kirshenbaum & Bond.
“The program was full of spots that tried so hard that they ended up looking desperate,” said Brian Sitts, senior vice president and group creative director at J. Walter Thompson.
As an example, he cited the sixth annual Bud Bowl with once dazzling computer animation that “has become ho-hum today.”
Several of the critics said a spot in which Cindy Crawford turns into Rodney Dangerfield after being deprived of Pepsi was overproduced and predictable. They also gave mediocre marks to a Pepsi spot starring taste-testing chimps, even though the ad got a record high score in a USA Today poll.
The execs split on two Nike ads starring Steve Martin that asked whether Michael Jordan had faked retirement. Some said the comedian was wasted; others said the spot was very entertaining. They also split on a Doritos Tortilla Thins ad in which Chevy Chase is fired and on Chrysler spots introducing the Neon.
Some critics said the use of a rapping and dunking Shaquille O’Neal for Reebok did not work. “The Reebok spot was pretty mind-numbing,” said Julie Newton-Cucchi, creative director at Ogilvy & Mather.
The ad execs said that even if an ad works in normal programming, it may be wasted in an event that charges advertisers a whopping $900,000 per 30 seconds and that plays to a largely partying crowd.
“Those advertisers that don’t do commercials that are significant enough to get pre- or post-PR out of it are really wasting money,” said Ron Berger of Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer.
As examples, the critics cited spots for Ray-O-Vac batteries that were heavy on graphics but short on entertainment, and a Goodyear spot with cars tugging water skiers.
Some spots went on too long, the critics said, citing a 90-second spot for Alamo rental cars, when a couple takes a 4-million-mile trip. “It went on so long I ended up feeling sorry for the family,” Sitts said.
Other spots have overextended their themes, critics said. A McDonald’s spot last year that pitted Jordan against Larry Bird in a whimsical basketball showdown was warmly received, but the sequel stretching to outer space and adding Charles Barkley was not as popular. “The idea is tired,” said Brent Bouchez, senior vice president at Ammirati & Puris.
Similarly, some critics said the use of basketball star Larry Johnson as “Grandmama” for Converse has grown tired, even with Wizard of Oz imagery. And 7-Up ads using animated spots to wipe away the color of cola were not helped by the additions of humans in a casino, several critics said.
Some ads were entertaining but seemed to have little to do with the product, said Jay Schulberg, vice chairman at Bozell. A few critics cited a Lipton Iced Tea spot that was a spoof of Kung Fu with David Carradine and The Three Stooges as looking more like a cola commercial, while others said it was clever.
In contrast, critics were impressed by a Reebok Insta-Pump spot with Emmitt Smith that looked almost like part of the game. Said Carmon Johnston, broadcast production director at Uniworld Group, “The star of the show was the Reebok ad that used actual highlight footage to cut a commercial live.”